List Of Countries Where French Is The Official Language And A List Of French Speaking Countries in Africa

Rapide French, March 22, 2021

Did you know that Africa is home to more French speakers than any other continent? In celebrating the French Language on this "Journée Internationale de la #Francophonie, I made this video on "French Speaking Countries in Africa". How many countries in Africa are French-Speaking? How did French get to Africa? Which country has the highest population of French Speakers in the world (not France)? Make sure you stick around till the end of the video to get answers to these questions We'll also dive into a mini-geography lesson so if you'd like to know more about French in Africa, hit that subscribe button and dive in!

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post showcases a video about French speaking countries in Africa.

This post also presents some general information about the continent of Africa and provides a list of 29 African nations where French is spoken. An article excerpt about African nations where French is spoken is also included in this post.

The content of this post is presented for educational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Rapide French for producing this showcased video and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3Hqfo8FrVA&ab_channel=foopie09 for the YouTube video entitled "L'Afrique Francophone: Apprendre sa géographie - Learn the French-speaking African countries". 

That catchy song has the same tune as Lady Gaga song "Applause". Unfortunately, that song only lists 19 African nations where French is the official language (since it doesn't include the Comoros and the Seychelles.

Also, click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqy5yscVQnA&ab_channel=NouryaSangar%C3%A9 for a challenge YouTube vlog entitled "Les Expressions : Côte d'Ivoire Vs. Cameroon Slang Challenge |TCHAPEU TCHAPEU, NOUCHI | PART 1"

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ARTICLE EXCERPTS
From https://www.lingoda.com/en/content/french-speaking-countries/ Learn More About the French Speaking Countries

"The French language has approximately 80 million native speakers, as well as 190 million secondary speakers, meaning that around 270 million people speak the language worldwide. It is an official language in 29 countries, with most of these being part of the community of French-speaking nations known as la francophonie. It is estimated that around 12 percent of the European Union’s population speaks French as a mother tongue, making it the fourth most widely-spoken European language. Furthermore, 20 percent of EU citizens report knowing how to speak French, making it the third most understood language in the continent. With that being said, the language’s reach extends far beyond Europe and, in actual fact, the largest share of the world’s French-speaking population reside in Africa. Moreover, French is recognised as an official language of several global institutions, including the United Nations, NATO and the World Trade Organization.

 

What are the Main French Speaking Countries?

French-speaking countries are often described as being ‘Francophone’ and with approximately 60 million native speakers, France is officially recognised as the largest Francophone nation in the world. It is also the country where the language originated and is the nation most commonly associated with French. Interestingly, when focusing purely on native speakers, Canada is the second-largest French speaking country, with around 7 million people speaking it as their mother tongue. Belgium and Switzerland complete the top four, with somewhere in the region of 4 million native speakers in the former and 2 million in the latter.

 

Yet, it is estimated that just over half of the global French-speaking population lives in Africa. Indeed, approximately 115 million African people live in Francophone countries and speak the language as either their first or second language, while many more live in non-Francophone African countries and have acquired the language. Many of the Francophone African nations have multiple official languages, with French often functioning as a second language. Therefore, none of the African nations rank especially highly when it comes to native speakers. However, when no distinction is made between native speakers and those who have French as a secondary language, some of these countries have enormous French-speaking populations. For example, it is estimated that Congo-Kinshasa is home to 33 million French speakers, while Algeria houses in excess of 11 million.

 

Overview of French Speaking Countries

French is a recognised official language in 29 countries and some of the most prominent of these are listed below, in order of the number of native speakers each country has. Most French-speaking countries are considered part of la francophonie and most were French colonies in the past. It is important to note that some of these countries, such as Canada, have more than one official language. As a result, French may not necessarily be the most common first language in each of them.

Countries where French is an official language:

France (60 million native speakers)

Canada (7 million native speakers)

Belgium (4 million native speakers)

Switzerland (2 million native speakers)

Congo-Kinshasa

Congo-Brazzaville

Côte d’Ivoire

Madagascar

Cameroon

Burkina Faso

Niger

Mali

Senegal

Haiti

Benin

In addition, France continues to have a political influence over several territories outside Europe, which are collectively known as Départements et territoires d’outre-mer, or DOM-TOM. Examples of French-speaking dependent territories include French Guiana, Guadeloupe and French Polynesia.”…
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I added italics to highlight the nations in this list that are in Africa. 

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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT AFRICA
From https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-many-countries-are-in-africa.html How Many Countries Are There In Africa?

"Africa contains 54 countries, 3 dependencies, and one disputed territory.

[…]

In addition to 54 countries, Africa also includes 3 dependencies and one disputed territory. Two of the dependencies, Reunion and Mayotte, are controlled by France. Reunion is an island located just west of the small island country of Mauritius, and east of the large island country of Madagascar. It is the most populous of Africa’s dependencies, containing approximately 895 thousand inhabitants. Mayotte is located in the Comoro Islands off the coast of Mozambique, and borders the country known as the Comoros. The least populous territory in Africa is the British-controlled dependency of St. Helena, which is located far off the coast of Middle Africa, practically in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean. The aforementioned disputed territory is known as Western Sahara. It is located on the west coast of Northern Africa, between Morocco to the north and Mauritania to the south. The territory is now the scene of a long-running conflict between its local inhabitants, who want independence, and the country of Morocco, which claims the territory as its own."...

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ARTICLE EXCERPTS ABOUT FRENCH SPEAKING AFRICAN COUNTRIES
From https://www.rypeapp.com/blog/french-in-africa-29-countries-where-french-is-spoken
French in Africa: 29 Countries Where French is Spoken  [No author is credited for this article and no publishing date is given]
"Did you know that they speak French in Africa?  The French language was brought to the African continent through colonialism. During the 1950s and 60s, France and Belgium lost control of their African colonies, however, French is still spoken in at least 29 African countries. According to some estimates there will be 700 million French speakers by the year 2050, and 80% of them will be in Africa.

[…]

French in Africa: 29 Countries Where French is Spoken

French is the official language of 21 countries in Africa.

‍1. Benin

Benin, located in the west, is one of Africa’s most stable democracies. French is the official language of this country of 11 million people. The people of Benin speak Fon, Ge, Bariba, Yoruba, and Dendi, as well.

2. Burkina Faso

With a population of 18.6 million, this is one of the poorest countries in Africa. It is located in the west and is landlocked. French is the official language, although other indigenous language are also spoken.

‍3. Burundi

Burundi is another one of the poorest countries and has a population of about 10 million. You have probably heard of the conflicts between the Tutsi and Hutu groups, some of this is in Burundi. It is located in the east and the official languages are French and Kirundi.

‍4. Cameroon

This country located in central Africa has one of the highest literacy rates on the continent and is known as “Africa in miniature” due to its diversity. With over 200 linguistic groups, the official languages are French and English. They also speak the languages of Bantu, Semi-Bantu and Sudanic groups.

‍5. Comoros

Comoros is a country located off the eastern coast of Africa, east of Madagascar. It is made up of the islands of Grande Comore, Moheli, Anjouan, and Mayotte, as well as many smaller islands. The population is 813,000 and the official languages are French, Arabic, and Comorian.

6. The Republic of Congo

This country of 5 million people and is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s major oil producers. The official language is French.

‍7. The Democratic Republic of Congo

With a population of 81.5 million, this huge central African country has been plagued by civil war and corruption in the recent past. The official language is French while Lingala, Kiswahili, Kikongo,  and Tshiluba are also spoken.

8. The Ivory Coast

Located in western Africa, The Ivory Coast is the world’s largest exporter of cocoa beans. French is the official language in this country of 23.7 million people.

‍9. The Republic of Djibouti

Many countries have military bases in this important coastal nation. Djibouti is the gateway to the Suez Canal which is one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. French is the official language of this country of just under 1 million. Arabic, Somali and Afar are also spoken.

‍10. Gabon

One of the most stable countries in western Africa, Gabon has a population of 1.5 million people whose official language is French. Other Bantu group languages are also spoken here.

11. Guinea

This country of 10.5 million, located in western Africa, has the potential to be one of the richest countries in Africa due to its vast mineral wealth. Nonetheless, its people are some of the poorest in the region. The official language is French, and Susu, Fulani, and Mandingo are also spoken.

12. Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea is found, you guessed it, near the equator just to the north of Gabon. It is a small country with 1.2 million people. The official languages are Spanish, French, and (as of 2010) Portuguese.

13. Madagascar

25 million people live on this large island off the east coast of the African continent. In fact, it is the 4th largest island in the world! Madagascar is known for its wildlife. The official languages are Malagasy and French.

14. Mali

Many westerners have heard of Mali and the northern city of Timbuktu. Mali is one of the largest countries in Africa. The population of 18.5 million speaks French as the official language. Other major languages spoken include Bambara, Berber, and Arabic. 

15. Niger

Niger is located to the east of Mali and is on the edge of the Sahara desert. It has a population of 16.6 million people and is noted as being a major transit route for migrants heading to Europe. The official language is French, and people also speak Hausa, Songhai, and Arabic.

16. The Central African Republic

This is a landlocked country in central Africa that is rich in diamonds, gold, oil, and uranium. The population of 4.7 million has been operating under a transitional government since 2014. French is the official language, but Sangho is the lingua franca of this country.

17. Rwanda

Rwanda is located just north of Burundi and has suffered much from the conflict between the Tutsi and Hutu groups. There is a great film called, Hotel Rwanda, that will help give you an idea of what happened here. Kinyarwanda, French, and English are the official languages of this country of 11.2 million people.

18. Senegal

Senegal is known as one of Africa’s model democracies. It is in northwest Africa and has had a tradition of stable governments. Dakar is the capital city of this country of 15.5 million people. French is the official language and Wolof is the lingua franca.

19. The Seychelles

This group of islands lies to the north of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The 94,000 inhabitants speak  French, English, and Seychellois Creole as their official languages. The Seychelles enjoy a high per capita income as well as good healthcare and education systems.

20. Tchad

Tchad, or Chad, is Africa’s fifth largest country and has become an official oil producing nation as of 2003. French and Arabic are the official languages of this country with 11.8 million people. 

21. Togo

The Togolese Republic is in western Africa. It has struggled to become a stable country since it gained independence from France in 1960. The population of 7.6 million people speaks French as their official language.

There are several other countries where they speak French in Africa, although French is not the official language. These countries include Algeria, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Qatar, and Tunisia.

As you can see, they speak French in Africa in about half of all the countries! Oh là là!”

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